Photos: Tammi Tan
Video: Foong Mien Shi
Sonia Sui may play a woman with no desire to find a husband in Mr. Right Wanted, but in real life, the Taiwanese actress says that marriage and babies are things she has always wanted.
However, unlike her younger self, the 34-year-old no longer has a personal deadline for tying the knot. “I used to want to be married at 24 because that’s when my parents got married,” she told xinmsn in an interview at yesterday’s press conference for the upcoming drama. “But after I passed that age, I learned that I should just let nature take its course.”
Just a little over a month ago, Sonia confirmed that she is in a relationship with Tony Chia, a Los Angeles-based financial worker. The pair met at a concert by Taiwanese songstress Lai Pei-Hsia, who is Tony’s stepmother.
When we asked if she thinks she has found her own “Mr. Right” in her beau, Sonia responded with a smile and a small nod.
“He may not be a conventionally romantic boyfriend, but everything he does for me feels very sincere, with the simple motive of making me happy, and that, to me, is very romantic,” she gushed.
Interestingly, Tony also fulfils all her previous requirements of what she did not want in a partner. “I didn’t want a long-distance relationship and I didn’t want to date a foreigner,” she said. “Who knew that I’d end up with someone who’s exactly like that! But we’re doing fine.”
Because of the miles between them, a little extra effort is required to keep the union afloat, as Sonia learned from observing co-star Christopher Lee, who plays one of the men she dates in order to write a book about looking for love online.
The MediaCorp Ah Ge and his wife Fann Wong are often apart due to their jet-setting jobs, but the celebrity couple is known for making it a point to keep in touch despite the distance and their busy schedules. “He sets a perfect example for me,” praised Sonia.
“Love is something that both parties need to work hard on,” Chris, whom we interviewed with Sonia, advised. “It’s important to not give up so easily even when there are bumps in the road. (But) I don’t think [a long-distance relationship] is something to worry about – as long as two people are really in love, they would see each other even if one lived on the moon.”
The moon was certainly something folks here were over when Chris nabbed Best Lead Actor in a TV Series at this year’s Golden Bell Awards. It is the first acting accolade the two-time Star Awards Best Actor winner has received outside Singapore, and the honour, Chris confessed, has given him more pressure.
“Winning an award is the result of the fortunate combination of a good character, script and crew, and after you’ve won, you can’t keep holding on to that victory – in fact, you have to work twice or thrice as hard, because people will be paying closer attention to your work after that,” he said.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a celebration with Fann and their adorable son Zed. “We haven’t had time for that yet, but I think we’ll go out for a family meal in another two days or so.”
When xinmsn caught up with Fann on Friday, the actress joked about turning from a queen into a servant after the birth of their little boy on National Day. Laughing, Chris quipped that he’s also become a manservant, but it’s a change they’re more than happy about.
“Every day we help him with his needs, and we appreciate each second and minute that we spend with him,” said the proud papa. Whenever one parent is away, the one who is home with the baby will take pictures and send it to the other throughout the day to keep them updated.
Chris, whose longest period away from his son was about two weeks, told us that he starts to miss Zed the moment he steps outside the door. “I’m not being too overdramatic – one day, when you have children of your own, you will understand how true this is!”